Packaging configurations for semiconductor circuits typically include mounting of the die having the integrated circuit to a substrate, which in turn is mounted onto a printed circuit board or another substrate. As die sizes shrink and input/output pin counts increase or remain the same, the pitch of the ball grid array commonly used for packaging is becoming a bottleneck in limiting the amount of connections. Due to limits in the size of the solder bumps used for the ball grid array, the amount of I/O connections provided by the ball grid array is reaching a maximum.
In addition, when a chip manufacturer provides numerous families, e.g., STRATIX™ and HARDCOPY™ families of the assignee, it is desirable for a customer to be able to use the same printed circuit board for an alternative chip from the manufacturer. Typically, the die sizes of the chips from the different families is different but the pin count is the same, with the later introduced chip having a smaller die size. In order to accommodate the chip having a smaller die size, adjustments have to be made for routing the I/O connections. The congestion experienced by the smaller die size can cause signal integrity issues.
Thus, there is a need for an improved packaging configuration to relieve the bump pitch and congestion as die sizes continue to shrink and pin counts increase.